ASTON HALL, ENGLAND by C. H. Castle

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · May 4, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 18.

ASTON HALL, ENGLAND.

By C. H. Castle

BY C. H. CASTLE.

NEARLY every city, borough, and village in England claims some mark of distinction, historically; and, judging from what one hears from time to time as he visits about, England abounds in places of interest. The people make the most of these interesting places and take delight in telling visitors about them.

Birmingham is known as one of England's large cities, and when we come to remember that it is surrounded by numerous suburbs independent of the city proper, so far as government and municipal control is concerned; that many of them contain thousands of inhabitants; also that the dividing line between them is so slight that none would recognize it; we may then get a faint idea of the magnitude of this great city. It is a large city of itself, and is made to appear much larger because of the clustering villages about it.

One of the most noteworthy places of interest is Aston Hall, in the town of Aston, adjoining Birmingham. As we approach this old building, we find it surrounded by a large area of well-kept grounds, with an abundance of flowers and trees within its borders, and the Hall itself standing on an eminence in the central part. It formerly embraced several acres, but has gradually been cut down to a very few acres of land. One is impressed with the ancient appearance of the building from the exterior, but the interior is even more striking in this respect.

Sir Thomas Holte was the builder of this quaint old edifice, and its erection was begun as early as 1618; but it was not completed until 1635. One of the first memorable events connected with the place

is the entertainment of Charles I. on Oct. 16, 1642.

The old house was most substantially built, and is a place that engages one's attention for hours. The old stairways are constructed of solid oak, and the floors are of the same material undressed, or as we term it, "rough," and are made of wide boards without being matched together, or "tongued and grooved."

At one time during some trouble locally, this place was attacked, and the results of the cannonading are to be seen to this day. One of the large solid oak posts supporting one of the main stairways, of which there are several, was splintered by a three or four-inch ball, which is preserved as a relic in a glass case beside the post it so many years ago defaced. Also the exact place on the wall where it entered the building is indicated by a line drawn around it, and the date of the attack written by the side of it.

The Manor, as it was formerly called, passed from one party to another, until finally, at the request of Queen Victoria, upon the occasion of her visit to the Hall on June 15, 1858, the corporation of Birmingham acquired the mansion, and the remnant of the park, and thus secured it to the public. It now contains many interesting collections, and is virtually an art gallery and museum.

The visit of the queen was an event of considerable moment, and adds greater interest to the Hall than it would otherwise have. It is in what is known as the "Great Gallery" that the finest of oak panelling is to be found. Many interesting portraits are to be seen there. In a book under one of the windows is the autograph of the late Queen Victoria.

Another most interesting room is the great kitchen. It is said that there were a very large number of servants occupied about the mansion. In this great kitchen the animals that were eaten were brought in alive, and actually slaughtered, and prepared for the table. The great hook in the ceiling has undoubtedly supported many a bullock and sheep. The butcher's block is in the same room with the great fireplace, where the meat was roasted by means of a spit large enough to accommodate a whole animal. The spit was worked by a smoke jack, the draught up the great chimney being sufficient to turn the spit without manual assistance. While visiting this dark and dreary room, one could almost imagine he could see the butler with his army of assistants preparing the meal for the large family.

Page after page might be written upon this interesting place, but space does not permit. There are something like twenty rooms upon the first floor, and several on the second floor. In one of the top rooms the musketeers were stationed during the siege previously mentioned. Another room is pointed out as being the scene of a suicide. In another was imprisoned a young woman who refused to marry the man chosen by her parent. Thus each room has some special interesting feature attached to it. Hence, when one has viewed its interior and exterior, he gazes upon it with a feeling of awe, as he tries to recall a few of the many thrilling events connected with this crumbling monument.